By Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor
Gayle... 27 for 3.
THE FIVE-match Cable & Wireless one-day international series between the West Indies and New Zealand got off to a disappointing start at Sabina Park yesterday with the first match abandoned after one innings because of rain.
After a bright morning yesterday the West Indies had dismissed New Zealand for 176 in 49.4 overs, rain chased the New Zealanders and umpires Billy Doctrove and Ashoka DeSilva off the field even before the West Indies opening pair had entered the arena.
The rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, was heavy for 50 minutes, it continued for another 30 minutes, and when it stopped at 3:00 p.m., the saturated outfield was so soft that after an inspection by the umpires, it was ruled unfit for play at 3.30.
"Boy, we salt fi true," said a fan as the rain lashed Sabina Park. "Wi a come like Guyana now."
After losing 5-0 to New Zealand in New Zealand two years ago, the West Indies are on a mission of revenge and yesterday's no decision must have been a bitter disappointment.
Although it is never over until it is over, when the rain came the West Indies needed to score at an average of 3.54 runs an over to win the match and, despite the awkward bounce of the ball off the soft and slow pitch, with a batting line-up of Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, captain Carl Hooper, Shivnarine Chander-paul, Ryan Hinds and Ridley Jacobs, it looked a good bet that the West Indies would do so and take the first step towards accomplishing their mission.
They were left with what appeared a great chance to win the match by their bowlers who, to a man, exploited the conditions with accurate bowling.
In a wonderful team effort, Mervyn Dillon took two wickets, Cameron Cuffy two, Pedro Collins one, Gayle three, and Ryan Hinds two.
The stars, however, were Dillon and Cuffy.
Using the pitch beautifully, the two pacers rocked New Zealand with three quick wickets, left them dizzy and easy pickings for their colleagues, and but for Craig McMillan, 69, and Lou Vincent, 20, who countered with a fighting fifth-wicket partnership of 67 in 17 overs, the match may well have been over before the rain.
With New Zealand winning the toss and electing to bat first on a pitch that was sheltered from rain for many days, Dillon struck in the third over and made it one for one when star batsman Nathan Astle went back defensively and edged a catch to Hooper at second slip.
Dillon made it five for two in the fifth over when captain and left-hander Stephen Fleming attempted to hook and tapped a catch to Ryan Hinds at square-leg; and Cuffy made it 14 for three in the eighth over when he cut down Chris Nevin with a nasty delivery - the batsman going back and the ball kicking and lobbing off the shoulder of his bat to Sarwan at gully.
It was 37 for four in the 16th over when left-hander Chris Harris swung offspinner Gayle high to Collins on the backward square-leg boundary.
It was then that Vincent joined McMillan and together they steadied the tourists before Cuffy returned and trapped Vincent leg before wicket at 104 for five in the 33rd over.
The New Zealand resistance ended when McMillan, after stroking five delightful boundaries, went at Ryan Hinds and was caught on the long-on boundary by Gayle.
